Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 11 February 2026
279. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently on a waiting list in County Kildare for early learning and childcare places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11031/26]
View answerEach year, Pobal compiles data from Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers as part of the Early Years Sector Profile. At the time of the most recent Profile survey for 2024/25, there were 196 service providers that had a contract for at least one DCDE funded programme/scheme in County Kildare.
The most recent published capacity data for the 2024/25 programme year estimated that there were 12,087 children enrolled in ELC and SAC services in County Kildare. This data also indicated that 43% of service providers in County Kildare had at least one vacant place and 52% had a waiting list.
It is important to note that waiting list data should not be used as a measure of overall demand for ELC and SAC places. While waiting list data can be used to give an indication of demand for places for a given age group or service type there is no centralised waiting list, each waiting list is managed at service level and an individual child may be on multiple waiting lists in different services and may remain on one or multiple service lists after taking up a place. Additionally, not all services operate a waiting list.
Further information can be found on the Early Learning and Childcare data website. The Capacity Section of the website provides information on the number of children enrolled, services with vacant places, and services with a waiting list.
